


Unaffected

by Dawnrider



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Romantic Fluff, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29075604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnrider/pseuds/Dawnrider
Summary: Inuyasha is confronted with the fact that he might be Kagome's downfall if he can't remain unaffected...Too bad he's anything but.A gift songfic for the amazing Mamabearcat
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 16
Kudos: 65





	Unaffected

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MamaBearCat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaBearCat/gifts).



> This is an older story that I finished up to give our dear friend MamaBearCat some fluff today. It was originally inspired by Hoobastank's "Unaffected" so you will find the lyrics throughout the story. I hope you enjoy the fluff, Mama.

There never seems to be

Because what I believe

A moment I'm not trying

To show them who I am

Why can't they understand

The things that they're denying?

They're denying?

Another youkai fell to the dirt in pieces before disintegrating into dust with a mournful howl. Kagome rushed forward after being given the go ahead and picked up the shard, purifying it instantly. It still amazed him that she could do that. The young woman from the future turned and looked at her hanyou protector, her deep brown eyes seeking his approval in a silent gesture he knew all too well. Inuyasha bit down a smile at her eagerness to please and gave her a curt nod as appreciation. Still wound up from the fight with the fairly large spider youkai, one of his least favorite, he struggled to tamp down his adrenaline-fueled fidgeting. He wanted to celebrate with her, but instead he cringed internally as Kagome’s eyes deadened slightly. She’s hurt, he could tell, though she seemed to take his nod for what it was. _I can’t be the kind of man she needs._

Never a damned break! Inuyasha wondered when he would ever get the chance to just have a single moment where he could completely relax, drop the bullshit excuses and forget that he was what he was? He hated lying to her about everything. Kagome meant more to him than anything else in the world, and yet he had to continually pretend. Yell at her, call her names, tell her she’s useless. They all hurt her and he knew it, but he couldn’t think of another way to keep her out. Keep the meddling woman out of the miserable existence he had been living for years. 

Though… he supposed that was different now. 

His life was much better with Kagome in it. It was stressful, sure, but he wasn’t running for his life or completely rejected by everyone. He had a pack now. He belonged somewhere... he had a home. A home in Kagome. He didn’t think she knew how drastically she had changed his life with her huge heart and he wouldn’t be surprised with the way he tended to treat her. Secretly, he felt he deserved almost every osuwari command… but it wouldn’t do to admit that, now would it?

The others knew a lot more than they let on. Which was saying a lot because they dropped a whole hell of a lot of hints. The monk especially. He had been a lot worse recently, telling Inuyasha that he had better tell Kagome how he felt about her before someone else took her right out from under his nose. The hanyou blew him off and pretended to ignore him. The monk had no idea how much his words affected him, because he knew how true they were. Kagome wasn’t an undesirable girl. Inuyasha had lost count of how many times he’d had to fend off one suitor or another in both his own time and hers. How much longer would he be able to convince her that her duty lay with him, in finding the shikon no kakera, instead of pursuing her own interests in her time? 

Sango on the other hand would sooner strike him down with Hiraikotsu than let him keep Kagome against her will. She was less inclined to believe Miroku when he whispered to her that Kagome and Inuyasha are in love and just refuse to admit it to each other... that they were both shy and afraid of rejection. He couldn’t blame her, not with the callous way he treated Kagome. Even the runt knew what was going on. And, honestly, he was getting tired of trying to hide it himself. It seemed that Kagome was just about the only one clueless to his feelings, the one thing her was more or less sorry for. If she knew how much he did care for her then she might have been able to ignore the insults and lies he threw her way better. 

But for now he had to keep her at arm’s length where she was safe.

So what should I do?

Just lay next to you

As though I'm unaffected?

And who should I be

When they're judging me

As though I'm unaffected?

Inuyasha watched his strange little pack get ready to turn in for the night. Miroku made a point to grab Sango’s ass at least three times between dinner and bedtime, a disgusting though amusing display. Sango growled at him, calling him a hentai before slapping him in the face and grumbling to herself until she fell asleep. Like every night, the monk unwaveringly thanked the tajiya for her presence in a quiet whisper that only Inuyasha could hear. The wistful sigh that followed like clockwork was heard by all. Kagome hummed quietly to herself as she slipped into her nightclothes before retrieving the snoring Shippou from his spot in Kirara’s tails, tucked away after falling asleep hours ago.

Watching Kagome interact with Shippou in the natural way she did twisted at his soul. That could be their pup she cradled to her chest as she hummed a lullaby. Their pup she kissed softly on the forehead when a nightmare seemed to trouble his mind. And Inuyasha could be down there holding and protecting them both in his arms. 

If only things were that easy. 

He could simply pretend that he was just a regular man and hold the woman he loved in his arms while they slept. But he didn’t sleep at night so that he could protect her, the kitsune kit they had unofficially adopted as their own, and their friends. Kagome settled in to sleep, a near-silent goodnight thrown in the inuhanyou’s direction. She thought he couldn’t hear her words or her depressed sighs... but he did. _I’m sorry I can’t give you what you need, Kagome._

The monk subconsciously inched closer to Sango as the two slumbered on. Most would assume that the lecher was feigning sleep as an excuse to lie closer to the tajiya but, judging by his heart rate and breathing pattern, Miroku was in fact dead asleep. Inuyasha supposed his body just automatically drew him to Sango’s side. The youkai exterminator was completely oblivious to the companion she would wake to in the morning. He had seen the process enough times to know that she only hated it when she knew other people could see how close he was with her and how much she liked the intimacy it afforded. Sometimes Inuyasha wondered which would be worse: to be a perverted human or a hanyou. Depending on the situation his conclusion varied. Mostly he decided it would still be better to be a human, even if he had to be a sick one like Miroku. At least the villagers let him into their homes without fear, let him near their children without qualms, and once they learn of his reputation, near their daughters and wives warily.

His ear twitched gently at the sound of a cricket landing on a leaf nearby and he reached up to scratch the furry appendage. Kagome liked to rub his ears. It had only happened a few times in the past couple of years… but Kami did he like it when she scratched them. She was good at it. Probably too good at it. Inuyasha couldn’t let her know the power she held over him, so he pushed her away, told her never to touch them because it was rude, or that he hated it. But he couldn’t keep her away any more than she wanted to stay away. 

Keeping awake as the rest of the group settled down into deeper sleep was relatively easy, like every other night. Inuyasha gazed at the moon, not having much else to do while the night rolled in with quiet whispers of birds and insects. He allowed a fond look toward Kagome as she sighed in her sleep, unconsciously comforting the kit through one of his nightmares and murmuring to him that everything was all right.

A chance they'd never give

To ever want to live

The life that I am made of.

There's nothing left to prove

My heart's forever true.

What is it they're afraid of?

Afraid of?

Unfortunately everything wasn’t all right. Not today. After a good night’s sleep the others were ready to move on to the next village for shard rumors, but they had been there before and Inuyasha was more than a little reluctant to go into town. If he didn’t have to protect Kagome and the others, he probably would have stayed on the outskirts. The people really didn’t like him there the last time. Not that he ever expected to be accepted by those silly humans, but he could see the way they looked at him, the way they hid their children away as though he might attack them. 

But what hurt the worst was seeing the way the villagers looked at Kagome when she showed no remorse for walking around next to a hanyou. Didn’t she see how they despised her for trusting him? They looked at her as though attacking _her_ might be a very good idea, miko or no. _I hate them._ He hated them for hating him, but even more for hating Kagome. She deserved no one’s ill feelings. He was a hypocrite, he knew. As the one who protected her and called her friend, Inuyasha should have been the last one to ever say a harsh word against her. But how else was he supposed to prove to her that he was not worthy of her? No matter how hard he pushed, she always came back. Even though he knew it would be harder for them in the long run, he was secretly glad that she did. 

He didn’t know how he could ever live without her and he hoped he would never have to find out.

Tamping down a growl was hard when he watched a small boy try to approach Kagome while they waited outside the local inn, only to be stopped by his mother. She whispered furiously that the miko is corrupted. His nostrils flared in anger, but for Kagome’s sake he said nothing, keeping his arms crossed over his chest. Was he really the disgusting filth they took him to be? He hadn’t done anything to Kagome, hadn't sullied her! But they wouldn’t see that, would they? To them they must be lovers or, more likely, they thought he took her against her will. 

Kagome turned to look at him and he realized he was growling under his breath. “Inuyasha?” she asked quietly, taking a step closer and searching his angry face for answers. Inuyasha let out a sigh and shook his head. Kagome frowned for a second but her brilliant smile lit her face not a moment later. “Don’t worry, we’ll leave soon,” she whispered, touching his hand softly where it gripped his bicep almost painfully.

“Keh.”

Kagome’s smile turned wry and she reached up to give an ear a tweak. “Don’t give me that,” she scolded. He fake snarled at her, nipping after her fingers. She giggled, nudging him with her shoulder. He loved their friendship. That she felt comfortable enough to joke around with him in public made him happy. But he had to remember that the world she comes from is completely different. Girls and boys talk to one another in the streets, they can be friends just like any pair of girls or boys. Here, at her age, that was seen as scandalous. It only made it worse that he was a hanyou and she was a miko. Inuyasha never had that problem with Kikyou, because he always knew where he stood with her. She was pure, and she made sure he knew that the only way an inuhanyou would be able to touch her in _half_ the ways he touched Kagome would be to use the Shikon no Tama to become human. 

Maybe that’s why he had such a hard time with Kagome. She was very openly affectionate and didn’t have a problem with touching. While it was something Inuyasha loved about her personality, it was also something that got them into arguments. He wasn’t sure where her affection would stop and it made his instincts crazy. It was why the people around them stared at her as though she’d grown a tail and three heads. He hated that they wouldn’t ever give her the chance she had given him.

So what should I do?

Just lay next to you

As though I'm unaffected?

And who should I be

When they're judging me

As though I'm unaffected?

Something about tonight was different. Inuyasha and Kagome hadn’t fought for several days, a rarity to be sure. Miroku and Sango’s questioning in the last village was successful and they were on our way northeast to look for a snake youkai supposedly getting braver and causing more trouble than usual. Making camp in the forest once again reminded Inuyasha that if it weren’t for him, Kagome and the others would be sleeping in soft futons. But Kagome was adamant about not bothering looking for another village, feeding them some story about wanting to sleep under the stars. It was a bullshit story and they all knew it, but he knew why she did it. She knew he didn’t want to stay in that last village and more than likely wouldn’t feel any better about the next. Why did she protect him like that? She was the one whose ass was always getting kidnapped. But Kagome was strong, stronger than Inuyasha ever gave her credit for. Out loud. _Kami, she would make the perfect mate._

He watched her fall asleep while he sat with his back against the trunk of a tree. None of the branches were strong enough to hold him so Inuyasha was spending the night on the ground for once. Her breathing didn’t even out and he watched her carefully in concern. She wasn’t falling asleep. “Keh, wench, go to sleep,” he muttered to her when she rolled onto her back, staring up at the sky. Her eyes drifted to his and he gulped as she slid out of her sleeping bag. On her way toward him, she left Shippou with Kirara at Sango’s side who curled her tails around the kit protectively. Inuyasha continued to glare at her for effect, but she didn’t waver in her path toward him. Once she reached the tree where he was seated, she knelt down and just stared for several moments. “What?” he groused. A small smile quirked her mouth.

“You’re not so tough,” she informed him, to which he just snorted. Softly, her hand reached for his, holding it gingerly as though he might snatch it back. Honestly, the thought had crossed his mind, but she was trying to tell him something so he let her continue to hold on. Flipping it over, she began to trace the lines of his palm with the blunt nail of her index finger. The sensation made the inuhanyou shiver, his palm itching slightly. He frowned. “Come look at the stars with me?” The hopeful tinge in her voice was undeniable. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sighed. Her lips quirked up in a genuine grin of delight and she rose, trying to pull him up with her.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” he grumbled. “Pushy wench, aren’t you?” Inuyasha laughed inwardly at the pout on her face, but allowed her to pull him along in the night.

The forest welcomed them in near-silent murmurs, the shuffle of leaf litter under their feet. Kagome wasn’t wearing her shoes and he knew her feet were nowhere near as tough as his. Without a word, Inuyasha scooped her up onto his back and smirked to himself at her squeak of surprise. Silently, they continued on toward the meadow he assumed she was looking for, his mind diligently memorizing the feeling of every bit of Kagome that was in contact with him. Her nightclothes were thin, but they covered everything. He was confused at first why she didn’t wear a sleeping yukata like everyone else, but she told him she felt more prepared in case something happened in the middle of the night in her ‘pajamas’ than in a flimsy yukata. He could see her point. The Noh Mask incident showed him exactly what she meant. Either way, her clothing didn’t hide her warmth from his back and his barricade against her slipped all the more.

Before they even saw my face

They knew that I was not the same

And decided I was not the one for you

For you

Inuyasha could, grudgingly, admit that the meadow was pretty. Kagome strolled through the grass for a few moments before plopping down and stretching out in what she had obviously deemed as the perfect stargazing spot. He let his senses stretch for a ways, not feeling any youki other than Shippou’s, Kirara’s, and his own. For now, they were all safe. 

Kagome beckoned him over almost lazily, and he allowed himself a quick smile. His body popped and cracked as he laid out next to the beautiful miko, and she giggled at his grunts of discomfort. That’s what he got for sleeping in trees all the time... 

“Sure you don’t want me to massage out your back, jiji?” she teased. Inuyasha scowled at her even though the offer sounded wonderful. “Fine. Be a grouch.” He threw a “keh” her way, settling back with his hands cradling his head. Slowly, Kagome shifted so that her head rested on his arm and the hanyou barely resisted the urge to jump. What on earth was she doing? Given her contented sigh, Inuyasha couldn’t move, but his mind and body were abuzz with questions and demands. “Isn’t this nice, Inuyasha? The stars are so beautiful in your time. You can’t see nearly as many in mine.”

“You’ve said,” he huffed. Kagome elbowed him gently in the ribs, a grunt leaving him while trying not to laugh. “What? You have. At least a hundred times.”

“Yea well, I’m just saying I like it better here with you, dog-boy.” His breath caught and Kagome noticed, turning onto her side to stare at him. He gaped at her in wide-eyed wonder, disbelieving his ears despite knowing they weren’t lying. Kagome’s face changed from confusion to gentle understanding. Did she see through him? Slowly her hand reached up and she gently brushed his fringe out of his eyes, a sad smile on her lips. Why did she look at him like that, as though her heart was breaking? 

For a moment, her head dipped down and a fleeting idea of a kiss shook his mental foundations. But the look of sadness only deepened and, instead, she lay back on his arm. His heart raced dangerously in his chest. Could she really have thought to kiss him only a moment ago? _Kami… Did she think I would stop her?_ He could feel her trembling next to him and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

The starlight shone on her beautiful face, but showed him all too clearly the pain that hid in her smile every day. Tears made slow tracks down her cheeks and into the velvet of her hair. Why did he do this to her, to himself… to them? With Kikyou at rest for the second - and hopefully last time - Inuyasha had no previous commitments to attend to, though Miroku said Kagome still worried he clung to the dead miko’s memory. Didn’t she understand that she was the only one he fought for, the one he continued to live for? Obviously not... 

Chewing his lip in thought for a moment, Inuyasha carefully turned onto his side. Kagome looked startled for a minute, unsure of what he was doing. It took all the courage he had to lean down and softly nuzzle her cheek, feeling the wet of her tears on the end of his nose. “I like it here with you too,” he whispered shakily. Both of them were trembling, clinging to one another in hopes that this moment would never get away from them. Kagome’s deep brown eyes looked up into his and a soft smile lit her features. _She is so godsdamned breathtaking._ Her long, dark, hair framed her beautiful face, her expressive eyes watching him with a hopeful look.

The next moment was a bit of a blur, Kagome’s lips rising to meet his in a chaste kiss. Responding was instinctual, a fire taking over his body as he pressed Kagome back into the grass. Her lips were pliant beneath his, though she gave as good as she got. Almost hesitantly, her lips opened and he took the opportunity to dip his tongue in to taste her. She tasted as beautiful as she looked.

So what should I do?

I'm not unaffected

And who should I be?

I'm not unaffected

Their kissing didn’t progress past that though... damn, did he want it to. He stopped himself when he knew that the only thing keeping him from ravishing her was her consent. She lay on his chest, softly snoring. Adorable as it was, Inuyasha planned to tease her about it later. 

He continued to lay awake pondering hard about the step that he and Kagome had taken without thinking. The uninhibited feeling that rushed over him as soon as he responded to her kiss was both amazing and terrifying. What had he done? He let Kagome know that she was not alone in her feelings and now he really wouldn’t be able to keep her out. She was too far embedded into his soul for him to ever let her go. He was too selfish for that. 

Kagome released a soft sigh and he sighed with her, still holding her wrapped in his suikan within his arms. His beautiful, bighearted Kagome. The fear of what would happen to her in the future swamped him for a moment. How could he expect to keep her safe once it was obvious? The youkai would be relentless, the humans would openly hate her and…

“Stop thinking so hard, you’ll break something.” Looking down into Kagome’s smiling face erased his worries for the time being. “What are you thinking about anyway?” she asked, crawling forward to nestle her head under his chin.

“What happens when they find out,” Inuyasha responded simply.

“When who finds out what?” A blush stole its way onto his cheeks, making Kagome’s smile widen. “Baka,” she whispered affectionately, touching his nose with a fingertip, “the villagers and youkai already think the worst simply because I’m with you all the time. What makes…”

“Exactly! Doesn’t it bother you?” he shouted, sitting up and holding Kagome by the shoulders while he stared into her eyes. She smiled lopsidedly and he couldn’t help but feel angry and confused. “Don’t you get it, Kagome? They hate you, hate you because you don’t hate _me_!” Kagome’s hands came out of nowhere, gripping his face tightly.

“Don’t _you_ get it, Inuyasha? I don’t care what they think. My family only wants me to be happy, for us to be happy. Sango and Miroku only encourage us, and Shippou wants us together because it will mean he has two parents again. A bit selfish on his part, but his heart’s in the right place.” Kagome’s fingertips loosened to caress his cheeks. Inuyasha felt the urge to pull away, to hold onto his anger, but her soft touches diffused any volatile emotions he happened to be feeling. “They’re the only ones who matter to me, so I think the real problem here is how willing you are to let go. You can’t be afraid of me anymore.” He felt his anger swell again, though he wasn’t sure if it was directed at himself or at Kagome. _Me, afraid of her? How stupid._ He wasn’t afraid of her, more like _for_ her. She really must not understand the weight of the decision she was making. But maybe she didn’t know the full meaning of their soft kisses and caresses.

“Kagome, this isn’t something you can back out of easily. Honorable youkai don’t mate and then just run off. It’s a lifetime commitment.”

“I should hope so!” she responded in a somewhat scandalized tone, balking at the idea that he had even implied that she would suggest otherwise. It wasn’t that Inuyasha didn’t want that, it was that he didn't want Kagome to live the life his mother had. Painful and short. Inuyasha wanted her to stay alive and be happy, even if it had to be with someone else. Kagome deserved to live out her life, get married, and have a few kids. “Inuyasha,” her exasperated whisper pulled him from his silent brooding, “why are you growling like that?” He hadn’t even realized he was making any noise at all. He pulled himself together and looked into her deep brown eyes. They searched his even as he stared into hers.

“You should go back to your time, Kagome. You can find a human boy who will give you a safe home in your city and a few kids. I can’t give you that, I can’t give you the kind of life you deserve. Kagome I…”

“No!” she interrupted loudly, grabbing his forelocks harshly. “Don’t say that! Inuyasha, don’t push me away, please,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. She fell against his chest when his face revealed none of his shock, no emotion really at all. She wept loudly, begging him not to leave her. “I need you,” Kagome whimpered. Slowly, he lifted his arms up to hold her, brushing his fingers through her hair to calm her. Her hiccoughing sobs indicated that she was settling down, but her scent was still terrified and every moment it continued made his nose burn. She didn’t want to leave any more than he wanted her to leave, and yet Inuyasha felt selfish trying to keep her. 

Maybe they’re both a little selfish because neither of them seemed willing to give up the other.

Inuyasha let out a deep sigh in an attempt to give himself time to come to a decision and squeezed her lightly to get her attention. He had made up his mind, now it was time to see if Kagome had made up hers. “Kagome, are you sure this is what you want?” She sniffled and wiped her eyes to clear them of tears. She tilted her head faintly, her eyebrows coming together in confusion.

“That _what_ is what I want?”

With a frustrated sigh the inuhanyou leaned back and indicated myself. She gave him a perplexed look in response. “This! Me! Am I really what you want for the rest of your life? Because if you want me, it has to be forever, Kagome. I told you before that it’s a lifetime commitment but it isn’t when you die, it’s when I do. I don’t know for sure, because I don’t know any other half-demons older than me personally, but I’m pretty certain that hanyou live a lot longer than ningen. They’re usually killed too young for that to make any difference though,” he spat bitterly. Standing and pacing, Inuyasha tried to quell his rising panic and frustration. Hanyou don’t have mates because they don’t make it to adulthood. They don’t find love and they don’t have pups because no one accepts them. Kagome changed _all_ of that for this hanyou and he didn’t think she understood how utterly terrifying that was for him.

“Inuyasha, look at me,” she whispered. He stalked back and forth a couple more times before turning to do as she asked. She pulled herself from the ground, padding over to where he rigidly stood. Her soft hands took a firm hold of his before she looked up into his face in the moonlight. “You’re alive now. You can’t feel guilty for that.” He shook my head violently. He muttered to her that it wasn’t that. “Then what is it? What are you so… so frightened of?” He snarled at her use of the word. He was not afraid of anything! It was Kagome who should be afraid. Afraid of the prejudice, hate, and violence she had and would continue to witness because of him. The youkai, the humans, even his very own brother. They were all willing to harm or kill Kagome simply because she was associated with him as his traveling companion and smelled enough like him from repeated close contact. How could she expect that to change if she were to actually be his?

“I couldn’t stand to lose you Kagome. If ever a hanyou reached adulthood they would probably wish they were dead…”

“Like you do? Is that why you were so adamant about going to hell with…”

“Damn it, Kagome! No! Hanyou don’t find happiness! I’m waiting for something to happen and take you away from me because, I’ll be honest, you’re the best thing that ever fucking happened to me.” He was breathing heavily, Kagome clutching his arms tightly. “I don’t deserve this, don’t fucking deserve you.” He broke down, his knees buckling as he rested his forehead against Kagome’s stomach while holding her around her thighs. Her hands gently lay on his head, one finger lightly running over the back of his left ear. He continued to take in her scent, slightly worried that it would be the last time he ever smelled that lovely fragrance.

“You’re wrong Inuyasha, you deserve so much more than I could ever give you,” came her soft voice. As she continued talking, she gently scratched first one ear and then the other. “You’ve suffered so much and I can’t give you back what you lost. But… but I want to try and give you new memories if you’ll let me.” He looked up into her face, wonder evident in his golden eyes. She wanted to give him the world, he could see it in her face. But Kagome was the one who deserved anything she could ever want and more. Her fingers trailed down from his head to his face, holding it gently while she stood above him.

So what should I do?

Just lay next to you

As though I'm unaffected?

And who should I be

When they're judging me

As though I'm unaffected?

Her quiet plea gave him the last bit of strength and courage he needed to ask her for her love. She watched him carefully as he rose, keeping as much contact with her body as he could. He loved the way she shivered against him as he held her close. “You would stay with me?” Inuyasha asked her quietly, his ears twitching agitatedly. He might be able to hide his emotions in his face just as well as his asshole brother, but his ears had a mind of their own.

“To the ends of time Inuyasha,” she breathed. Inuyasha let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and hugged her tightly to him. She let out a shuddering sigh of relief and buried her face in his chest. “You scared me there for a bit. I thought you were going to try and throw me down the well again,” she admitted, her voice muffled against his kosode. He laughed softly, squeezing her close before letting her take a step back.

“I’m not ever letting you out of my sight like that again.” He frowned. That was a long time ago and it amazed him slightly how far they had come since then. He was glad though, that he finally let himself love her instead of pushing her away. Already his heart felt lighter, like he could fly over the moon and back without even having to jump. Kagome’s hand lifted to softly scratch one ear. “Keh,” he grumbled, flicking it away from her fingers. She pouted for a second, only to squeak when he scooped her onto his back in one fluid movement, darting off into the trees. She clung to him tightly, no fear in her scent, only giddy pleasure. Inuyasha allowed himself to smile as he felt her tuck her nose against the back of his neck to block out the wind. He could tell that she was smiling. _I’ll keep you safe and happy, Kagome. Nothing will tear us apart,_ Inuyasha promised her silently. He felt as though she heard his thought because she squeezed her arms around his shoulders in an awkward hug. “Hold on tight.” 

He flung them into the night sky overlooking the forest. She laughed, her thighs tightening around his hips and her arms clinging tightly to his frame. They chased the wind for a bit, then returned to camp to get at least _some_ sleep before morning. There were still shards to find and a quest to finish before they could truly let themselves be free to do as they wished. But at least they would be doing it together.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Superpixie42 for the beta and proofreading!


End file.
